joyinrepetition said:

Just listen to Prince's first two albums. That answers all questions on how good he is at the major band instruments. Phenomenal!

BTW Prince can read music and he does know music theory, why do you think he's so damn great?

Prince has admitted he can't read sheet music and does not know music theory. That's not at all a problem in the world of rock and roll. I only mentioned it because it's another myth that so many Prince fans believe.

JoeTyler said:

NDRU said:

Ultimately, what matters is that what he plays sounds musical.

He played all the instruments on a bunch of his songs and he made classics out of them. There are a lot of great musicians out there, but they have not all made music that feels good and resonates with so many people.

^ Thank You

many people just forgets that music is art, is subjective stuff. When they start talking about virtuosism, "mistakes", levels, etc, I can't help but thinking: "ok, take a fucking time machine to the 18th Century"

20th century music is NOT Mozart or Bach, for fuck's sake...

This is why I don't get why people are trying to downplay Prince. I mean if you ain't feeling his guitar playing or drum playing, then don't. Ain't like no one's gonna put any guns in people's head to convince people of these "myths". Says more about them then it does about Prince really.

All it boils down is the ability to write a great song and Prince does that better than most. There is no singular artist alive who has written as many great songs as Prince has.

If I could play half the instruments Prince can play, half as well, I'd be pretty ecstatic, to be honest.

hhhhdmt said:

funksterr said:

Prince does not play any instument at greater than a 5/10 skill level. So what? He is still an incredible artist. I have seen a lot of cats that can play the hell out of guitar, bass and piano. The fact that Prince can get play some funk (lite, lol) on these instruments is not, in and of itself, extraordinary.

based on what? Obviously he isnt the best at any instrument but this is a silly statement.

Prince isn't nearly as musically knowledgeable or as skilled with instruments as he and his various publicists have led us to believe. That's all.

Timmy84 said:

JoeTyler said:

^ Thank You

many people just forgets that music is art, is subjective stuff. When they start talking about virtuosism, "mistakes", levels, etc, I can't help but thinking: "ok, take a fucking time machine to the 18th Century"

20th century music is NOT Mozart or Bach, for fuck's sake...

This is why I don't get why people are trying to downplay Prince. I mean if you ain't feeling his guitar playing or drum playing, then don't. Ain't like no one's gonna put any guns in people's head to convince people of these "myths". Says more about them then it does about Prince really.

Prince obviously loves playing instruments, but the overall song and the blending of those instruments has always been more important to him because he's a pop star, not a guitar hero.

The fact that people try to say "He is only okay on guitar" says a lot that he has been compared to the greats to begin with! They don't say that about Madonna or Michael

I'm just awaiting for someone to say "F**K PRINCE".

Hasn't happened yet.

Timmy84 said:

JoeTyler said:

^ Thank You

many people just forgets that music is art, is subjective stuff. When they start talking about virtuosism, "mistakes", levels, etc, I can't help but thinking: "ok, take a fucking time machine to the 18th Century"

20th century music is NOT Mozart or Bach, for fuck's sake...

This is why I don't get why people are trying to downplay Prince. I mean if you ain't feeling his guitar playing or drum playing, then don't. Ain't like no one's gonna put any guns in people's head to convince people of these "myths". Says more about them then it does about Prince really.

in the end, everything is subjective: who's better, DeNiro or Pacino? do you prefer a virtuoso like Steve Vai or a guy than can write songs like Keith Richards? Who was the better dancer at the last Olympics? the gold medal or the silver medal???

makes no sense

also, as I've said, there's a difference between popular music and classical music, which is based on music academies and "playing note per note" stuff...but if we're talking about popular music, spare me that "who's better? is he/she a virtuoso?" shit...

[Edited 6/13/11 11:55am]

NDRU said:

Timmy84 said:

This is why I don't get why people are trying to downplay Prince. I mean if you ain't feeling his guitar playing or drum playing, then don't. Ain't like no one's gonna put any guns in people's head to convince people of these "myths". Says more about them then it does about Prince really.

Prince obviously loves playing instruments, but the overall song and the blending of those instruments has always been more important to him because he's a pop star, not a guitar hero.

The fact that people try to say "He is only okay on guitar" says a lot that he has been compared to the greats to begin with! They don't say that about Madonna or Michael

I know right?!

Prince was never trying to be a guitar god any damn ways. Leave that to Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughan, hell even Clapton. But that was NEVER Prince's intention.

And they sure don't say that about Mr. Jackson or Ms. Ciccone! You're right.

Militant said:

All it boils down is the ability to write a great song and Prince does that better than most. There is no singular artist alive who has written as many great songs as Prince has.

If I could play half the instruments Prince can play, half as well, I'd be pretty ecstatic, to be honest.

JoeTyler said:

Timmy84 said:

This is why I don't get why people are trying to downplay Prince. I mean if you ain't feeling his guitar playing or drum playing, then don't. Ain't like no one's gonna put any guns in people's head to convince people of these "myths". Says more about them then it does about Prince really.

in the end, everything is subjective: who's better, DeNiro or Pacino? do you prefer a virtuoso like Steve Vai or a guy than can write songs like Keith Richards? Who was the better dancer at the last Olympics? the gold medal or the silver medal???

makes no sense

also, as I've said, there's a difference between popular music and classic music, which is based on music academies and "playing note per note" stuff...but if we're talking about popular music, spare me that "who's better? is he/she a virtuoso?" shit...

Exactly!

Militant said:

Also can I say if you actually BELIEVED Prince played 27 instruments... well...

Like a hip-hop group once said back in the day:

DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

Militant said:

If I could play half the instruments Prince can play, half as well, I'd be pretty ecstatic, to be honest.

Yup, that's about it.

Imaginative said:

Militant said:

There is no singular artist alive who has written as many great songs as Prince has.

Really now? None? I think you're in need of some Musicology. Prince has written tons of great songs, but to say that he has written more great songs than anyone living is completely ridiculous. You would be hard pressed to find an average Joe who could name a great song he's written in the past 15 years. [Edited 6/13/11 12:23pm]

Ok.................start naming.

Drum programming and synth wizardry should count for something 2.

Graycap23 said:

Imaginative said:

Graycap23 said:

Ok.................start naming.

If you need me to tell you, it's a fruitless exercise. But for the sake of argument, I'll name two obvious ones; Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. [Edited 6/13/11 12:46pm]

It's all about personal taste. I don't like either one of them.

Graycap23 said:

Imaginative said:

Graycap23 said:

It's all about personal taste. I don't like either one of them.

Your not liking Dylan and McCartney has nothing to do with the contributions they've made to music. Prince certainly has no hesitation in citing their contributions to HIS music and is even regularly featuring a recent Bob Dylan song in his live setlist. [Edited 6/13/11 12:57pm]

Really?. I don't like them therefore I'd never listened 2 them. They don't move me in ANY way shape or form so from my perspective they have NOT made any contributions 2 any music that I like.

Graycap23 said:

Sure, shall we add a triangle, castanets, and a kazoo to the mix?

Imaginative said:

Graycap23 said:

Really?. I don't like them therefore I'd never listened 2 them. They don't move me in ANY way shape or form so from my perspective they have NOT made any contributions 2 any music that I like.

Then you don't like Prince or any popular music written since 1965 or so, because it is not up for debate that they've made significant contributions to virtually all pop music since their arrival, and all pop music has been shaped by The Beatles and Bob Dylan. [Edited 6/13/11 13:15pm]

Lol............please.

They shaped Funk? House muisc? Dance music? Rap? Hiphop? R&B? Blues?

[Edited 6/13/11 13:19pm]

Imaginative said:

Graycap23 said:

Really?. I don't like them therefore I'd never listened 2 them. They don't move me in ANY way shape or form so from my perspective they have NOT made any contributions 2 any music that I like.

Then you don't like Prince or any popular music written since 1965 or so, because it is not up for debate that they've made significant contributions to virtually all pop music since their arrival, and all pop music has been shaped by The Beatles and Bob Dylan. [Edited 6/13/11 13:15pm]

......thanks 4 that LAUGH.

Graycap23 said:

Imaginative said:

Graycap23 said:

Lol............please.

They shaped Funk? House muisc? Dance music? Rap? Hiphop? R&B? Blues?

[Edited 6/13/11 13:19pm]

Yes, all pop music. No one has escaped their influence. The Blues was around before pop music, or even recorded music for that matter. You need a history lesson.

Are u on meds?

Prince.org is DYING a s l o w death.

Graycap23 said:

Imaginative said:

Graycap23 said: Yes, all pop music. No one has escaped their influence. The Blues was around before pop music, or even recorded music for that matter. You need a history lesson.

Are u on meds?

I don't really have the time or inclination to musically educate you. I would have thought your inclination towards Prince would have helped that.

Listen to any top 40 song from 1961. Once you've done that, listen to any pop song from 1970. Hear the difference? That's the influence of Dylan and The Beatles you're hearing, for the most part.

Yes, there were other artists who helped to change pop music during that period, but they were all following the lead of Dylan and The Beatles, meaning they ALL would cite Dylan and The Beatles as major influences, in their approach to song, melody, harmony, structure, etc. These attributes are not isolated by genre.

By the way, I have a BFA in Music, and have an extensive music collection dating back to the the mid-1920s. The earliest Hip Hop and Rap records I've heard date back to the mid-1940's, which proceeds The Beatles and Dylan. That doesn't change the fact that both Dylan and The Beatles permently changed pop music forever. Period.

[Edited 6/13/11 13:54pm]

Graycap23 said:

TrevorAyer said:

my grandfather could play many instruments fluently by ear ..

piano

accordian

banjo

violin

mandolin

guitar

while accordian and piano are similar they have significant differences as do banjo mandolin violin compared to guitar .. different tunings .. no frets .. picking and pluck styles .. a bow is involved

on my fathers side my great grandfather was leader of his own orchestra and he and my father and his father all played outstanding trumpet

i took sax lessons for 5 years but its my worst instrument,

i've never heard prince try anything beyond guitar bass drums and keyboards .. nothing interesting like say john paul jones who played keys, bass and mandolin at virtuoso level ..

or say george harrison who brought the sitar to the mainstream

even on stringed instruments prince wont go beyond a guitar bass and learn the different tunings and styles

the 40 instruments prince has bragged about in interviews is likely actual instruments that he dabbles in but really either can't handle on a even a close to pro level or they are just too simple to even count .. i am sure he could squeak out a note or two on violin and maybe counts the "triangle" as an instrumentalist .. but the fact remains you don't get to be a POP star with out a LOT of hype .. prince has always worked the full spectrum to his advantage .. between the assless chaps, name change, master of 40 instruments and one man recording artist there is plenty of overblown hype to wet the appetite of the pop consumer

i would disagree that prince best instrument is guitar .. i think its probably bass because prince plays guitar like a bass player .. prince best songs are written around his best bass lines ... like erotic city, if i was ur girlfriend, 17 days .. they are complicated riffs too .. and his good guitar songs are written around just very simple chords .. like purple rain, the cross, raspberry beret .. when prince tries to write a guitar riff, it sounds like dreamer .. which sounds like a cheap and underwhelming hendrix rip .. his coolest guitar work came from wendy on computer blue and the melody for fathers song was his dads

when prince puts a guitar part in a song it is often very simple and sounds more like a bass lick than a guitar solo .. yup i know he plays plenty guitar solos too .. but usually the guitar in his songs is very simplistic (flashy solos not included)

his guitar solos are very good technically but its more like a fast run than anything unique and interesting to the ear .. i've heard him play fast runs on bass like that too .. so again i think its an offshoot of his strength as a bass player

i have never been impressed with prince on piano .. he does nice stuff like venus de milo (was that him or lisa tho?) but he usually just plays some ragtime esque solo .. renato is technically way better but he bores me worse than prince guitar solos .. as in they are interchangeable on most every song .. whats worse is renato solos are lite jazz and they ruin prince songs .. elton stevie and thousands of others are far better on keys

drums .. prince needs a click track .. he does not keep perfect time without it .. he used to play along with his drum machine .. which is the same as a click track .. see irresistable bitch, lady cab driver .. most people who dabble in drums can pull off a decent funky take like prince but also like prince .. cannot play at that level for a 3 hour live show .. and thats the difference between real drummers and those who dabble like prince .. heck even kurt cobain sat behind the drums every once in a while .. dave groll plays drums bass and guitar ... stevie plays keys drums and i've seen studio picks with him on bass as well .. trent reznor classically trained keys . guitar drums bass .. paul mccartney plays all ..

so someone mentioned that terence trent couldn't hang with prince and i'll remind you that questlove tried jamming with prince and apparantly couldn't hang either .. questlove is one of the top drummers on the planet right now .. soo hmmm maybe its prince that can't hang

the songs you are referring to were a part of his incorporating different styles in the same song. Programmed and live performed drums at once. It wasnt because he isn't able to pull of live playing. Can you prove that it was? His playing on the record Prince was real good, and he was only 21. Now he's got 30 years more of experience. I'm pretty sure he can pull of a whole concert pretty well. Decent drums is not too hard to learn for an ok musician, Prince however has it in his veins more than most. Studying his physique on stage says enough for me.

Graycap23 said:

Imaginative said:

Graycap23 said: Then you don't like Prince or any popular music written since 1965 or so, because it is not up for debate that they've made significant contributions to virtually all pop music since their arrival, and all pop music has been shaped by The Beatles and Bob Dylan. [Edited 6/13/11 13:15pm]

Lol............please.

They shaped Funk? House muisc? Dance music? Rap? Hiphop? R&B? Blues?

[Edited 6/13/11 13:19pm]

Finally someone said it! I don't mean to ruffle any feathers, but it often seems that the extent of The Beatles and Bob Dylan's influence on pop music tends to be somewhat overstated. If we're talking about rock music, then fine - have at it - call Dylan and The Beatles gods, because they are... within that realm. But if we're talking about other types of popular music like funk, dance, hip hop, r&b, jazz or rap, then it seems a bit pretentious to claim that all popular music produced after them is somehow stamped by their influence. It's interesting that people are often quick to point out that all artists after Dylan and The Beatles have been influenced by other artists as if to insinuate that either Dylan or The Beatles were the peak of musical genius and creativity and all music as we now know it is derived from them. Neither Dylan nor The Beatles invented music! They were heavily influenced by artists like Lil Richard, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Holly. And yes, they may be musical geniuses in their own right, but their huge celebrity and influence is also largely in part due to their positioning during a unique place and time in history.